Two New Cases of EHV-1 at Remington

Two new cases of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) have been diagnosed at Remington Park.

The confirmed EHV-1 cases on Nov. 21 follow an EHV-1 diagnosis on Nov. 14 that led to the euthanization of a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly at Remington, triggering a quarantine to one barn that had 66 exposed horses.

According to an Oklahoma Department of Agriculture notice posted on the Equine Disease Communication Center website, “A second horse in the quarantined barn has been tested positive by PCR for EHV-1; this horse is clinically normal and has not had a fever. A third horse in a different barn has also been tested positive by PCR; this horse is clinically normal and has not had a fever. The new barn has been quarantined. Approximately 100 horses have been exposed.”

Also on Thursday, the New Mexico Racing Commission (NMRC) ordered Zia Park and the Downs at Albuquerque to close their barn areas to horses originating from Remington. This means at least nine Oklahoma shippers will be scratched from the seven-stakes “Land of Enchantment” card scheduled at Zia next Wednesday.

“The sole reasoning behind the decision is to protect our New Mexico horse population and horsemen from suffering the way they did during the EHV-1 outbreak of 2016,” NMRC Executive Director Ismael Trejo said in a press release, referring to an outbreak nearly four years ago in which 73 horses tested positive for the virus and brought live racing to a halt at Sunland Park for over a month.

The highly contagious EHV-1 can spread during any time of the year, but the onset of winter typically brings a spike in cases nationwide.

According to Daily Racing Form, at least two other tracks are prohibiting ship-ins from Remington: Delta Downs and Oaklawn Park.

The Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma posted on its Twitter feed Friday that Remington will be host a “town hall” meeting on Monday at 11:00 a.m. in the track kitchen to answer questions about shipping and quarantine protocols.